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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27167587">Lucky Strike</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dongmyeongcore/pseuds/dongmyeongcore'>dongmyeongcore</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ONEUS (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Banter, Boys Kissing, Champagne, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Disney Movies, Drinking &amp; Talking, First Meetings, Fluff, Late Night Conversations, M/M, implied keonwoong, mentioned dongmyeong/giwook</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:01:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,162</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27167587</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dongmyeongcore/pseuds/dongmyeongcore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Geonhak is stressed from a long week at college and work. Dongju is alone on his birthday. They fight for the last bottle of champagne in the middle of the convenience store.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Son Dongju | Xion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>121</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Lucky Strike</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>warning: there's a naruto shippuden spoiler</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Geonhak had a rough week.</p><p>No, that would be the understatement of the century. He had the absolute shittiest week of his life, as if every single aspect of his life worked together to make his week unbearable. First, his co-worker at his part-time job got sick, so he had to work double shifts all week. The week before <em>finals. </em>That meant limiting sleep to twenty-minute naps on the bus, mixing energy drinks into his coffee, and accidentally making a kid cry once because he looked like death.</p><p>He finally understood why everyone thought he was joking when he said he was an Early Childhood Education major.</p><p>Then, as if working ten hours a day while studying for exams wasn’t bad enough, he had an overgrown child of his own to take care of. His roommate, Keonhee, found the most convenient time to get dumped by his boyfriend, and being the whiny, clingy Cancer he was, he required at least one cuddle session and five episodes of <em>Naruto</em> per day. And Geonhak, being the hidden softie he was, couldn’t deny him that.</p><p>The icing on the cake was his Special Education professor giving him a C- on a paper he’d spent <em>weeks </em>working on. He was counting on an easy A in that subject, and with that grade (that the asshole didn’t even bother to explain to him), he would have to score a 100% on the final exam to get an A. Now, Geonhak wasn’t a perfectionist when it came to his grades, but he was already so stressed that one unexpected occurrence was enough to push him over the edge.</p><p>On Saturday night, Keonhee finally gets out of his bed and goes out to find a rebound, and Geonhak decides to take a break from studying and enjoy a few episodes of <em>Naruto </em>on his own. He’d never admit it to Keonhee, but he kind of got addicted to the anime – it was a good way to de-stress, with an easy to follow plot and plenty of mindless fighting scenes. Also, he couldn’t wait for Keonhee to get his heart broken again to find out what happens next, they’d just gotten to the good part.</p><p>So he grabs the last tub of chocolate ice cream from the freezer, wraps himself up in Keonhee’s softest blanket, and presses ‘play’. He’s pretty sure sleep would take over him before he even gets to the next episode, with how sleep-deprived he’s been all week, but the current arc is so suspenseful that his heartbeat won’t slow down even when his eyelids get heavy.</p><p>And then it happens.</p><p>Heart-wrenching music, Geonhak’s sleepy eyes suddenly watery and wide in utter disbelief as Jiraiya smiles his last smile at him. It can’t be true. This isn’t what he signed up for.</p><p>It was supposed to be his self-care night, Jiraiya was supposed to win! Geonhak wasn’t even aware his mouth was open until something salty slipped into it, and he realized it was a tear sliding down his own cheek. And then another, and another.</p><p>He isn’t usually an emotional person, he couldn’t even remember the last time he cried like that, but with all the emotions that had piled up in his body over the week, he isn’t surprised by his reaction either. He’s just glad he had a chemical buffer for it, otherwise he would’ve just continued repressing everything until a much more embarrassing outburst happened. And that Keonhee wasn’t there, because that scene would’ve surely broken him.</p><p>Turning off his laptop, Geonhak untangles himself from the blanket, returns the half-empty tub of ice cream to the freezer, and decides he needs a drink. He knows drinking before finals week wasn’t the wisest decision, but fuck it, he deserves it. His original, “responsible” self-care plan failed, so it’s time to bring out the big guns.</p><p>They have no more beer in the fridge, another side-effect of Keonhee’s dramatic break-up, so he debates for a moment if it’s really worth getting out of the house for, but ultimately decides it is. After all he’d been through, he deserves to go all out – buy some over-priced champagne with the second salary he earned that week, and maybe a bath bomb so he could drink it in the tub like some sort of royalty. That mental image immediately cheers him up, and he decides it’s the only way to recover from his five days in hell.</p><p>He skips to the convenience store near his apartment so relaxed that not even the January cold could ruin his mood. Keonhee said not to wait for him (with an obnoxious wink that could only mean one thing), so he has the entire night to himself. He could even put on some IU and mourn the death of his favorite anime character without accidentally triggering his roommate into another crying session.</p><p>Once in the convenience store, he stops to get a few packs of instant ramen, since there can never be enough of that in a household of two college students, and some of his favorite snacks to eat before Keonhee finds them and inevitably claims them as his own. Now, onto the alcohol aisle.</p><p>He immediately spots what he was looking for – a big bottle with a metallic pink tag, fancy-looking but actually the cheapest one on the champagne shelf. He was so enamored with it that he didn’t even notice someone standing next to him until another hand landed on the bottle at the exact same time, brushing against his own.</p><p>They both stand frozen for a second, before they turn to look at their opponent.</p><p>Geonhak is face-to-face with a round-cheeked boy that looks like he’s about to bite his hand off. His baby face looks hilarious in contrast to his furrowed eyebrows and squinting eyes that don’t even try to hide his burning hatred for Geonhak. But he is still pretty.</p><p>“Excuse me,” the boy clears his throat, and he sounds like a prince waiting for a peasant to make way for him. Which Geonhak has no intention of doing.</p><p>On another night, maybe. Cute boys are his biggest weakness after little kids, and this fluffy-haired ball of fury is possibly the cutest boy he’d ever seen, but he’s too drained to be swayed by that. No, he <em>deserves </em>that champagne more than anyone, and he isn’t going to back down even if Adonis himself bats his eyelashes at him.</p><p>“Are you going to let it go?” the prince asks once again, somehow even more irritated than the first time, and Geonhak has to admit he is kind of enjoying making someone else as miserable as he is.</p><p>“Nope,” he says simply.</p><p>“Let go, I took it first.”</p><p>“Are you even old enough to drink?” Geonhak asks, not to provoke him but genuinely unsure of his enemy’s age. “Kid’s champagne is right over there.”</p><p>“It’s my birthday today,” he rolls his eyes. “So yes, I am.”</p><p>“Oh, well, why didn’t you just say so? I guess since it’s your birthday, I should let you have this.” For a moment, the boy thinks he’s serious and tugs on the bottle again, but Geonhak only tightens his grip.</p><p>“Nice try, now show me your ID.”</p><p>“Oh, fuck off,” he grits through his teeth, but gets his ID out of the back pocket of his jeans, without releasing the bottle from his other hand. He shoves it into Geonhak’s face just for a few seconds, but it’s enough for him to see that it is, in fact, his nineteenth birthday.</p><p>And his name is Son Dongju.</p><p>“Look, birthday boy, I’d gladly give you this on any other day, but it’s the only thing keeping me from dropping out of college and isolating myself in the mountains to raise sheep, so how ‘bout you go supply your little party somewhere else?” Geonhak says honestly.</p><p>Bickering was fun for a while, but he’s getting tired. He needs to get that champagne and get back to his apartment as soon as possible, otherwise he can’t guarantee how much longer he’ll be able to stay polite.</p><p>“I’m not throwing a fucking party, and I don’t care whether you live or die, so stop wasting my time,” Dongju says bluntly. Geonhak laughs, but only to signal he’s done playing nice.</p><p>“Do you have any idea what it’s like to study for finals and work forty hours a week at the same time?” Geonhak snaps. “Bet you don’t, I bet you’re just a spoiled brat who’s always had everything handed to him on a silver platter, and that’s why you’re so sure I’ll give you this bottle eventually. Well, newsflash, I won’t. Welcome to the real world.”</p><p>“So you’re going to spend 95.000 won on a bottle of champagne just because you’re stressed about finals?” Dongju raises an eyebrow, not even trying to hide his judgment. “Doesn’t sound like you’re struggling that much, if you’re trying to get my pity.”</p><p>“I’m a working adult, I can spend my money however I want,” Geonhak argues, but the sheer fact that he’s fighting a nineteen-year-old in the middle of a convenience store doesn’t really help his case.</p><p>“Well, Working Adult, why don’t you buy a more expensive one, then?”</p><p>“Because I like the taste of this one. Why don’t <em>you</em>, Mr. Barely Legal? It’s your birthday, you should go all out. Treat yourself!”</p><p>“I want the pink one,” he says shamelessly, and Geonhak almost smiles because he can’t believe anyone could say something so cute in such a serious tone. But he has to keep his poker face.</p><p>“There’s a pink wine right over there,” Geonhak points. “I bet you don’t even know the difference between wine and champagne.”</p><p>“Will you just let me have the fucking bottle?” Dongju snaps. “I’ll give you more money than this costs, just let me have one fucking thing on my shitty fucking birthday.”</p><p>Despite the excessive amounts of “fucking”, Geonhak can hear in his voice that he isn’t just throwing a childish fit anymore, there’s something else bothering him. The dumbest idea flashes in his mind, and he doesn’t even take time to reconsider before speaking.</p><p>“Why don’t we share it?” he asks. “I’ll pay.”</p><p>“How would we share it?” Dongju squints at him incredulously.</p><p>“By buying some plastic cups and drinking together, of course,” Geonhak explains, as if it were the most logical thing on Earth.</p><p>Dongju, obviously being slightly smarter than Geonhak, takes a second to think about it, eyeing Geonhak up and down again to make sure he had no ulterior motives. But in the end, he shrugs.</p><p>“As long as you’re paying.”</p><p>Geonhak beams at him, but the little frown on the boy’s face doesn’t twist up the slightest bit. Still, it’s not enough to make Geonhak’s smile falter. No matter how peculiar the situation, sharing champagne with a cute stranger is always better than drinking it alone while crying over fictional characters. It’s going to be an interesting night, at least.</p><p>They go to the cash register together, the pink champagne now in Geonhak’s basket, and Geonhak asks if Dongju wants anything else. He says he’ll just steal Geonhak’s snacks, so Geonhak grabs another bag of potato chips just in case.</p><p>When they leave the store, the night is a little colder than Geonhak remembered it, so his first instinct is to look at Dongju to see if he’s trembling. He isn’t, but he did ball his fists to make unbearably cute sweater paws. Which Geonhak would just have to lock into some faraway corner of his mind, for later.</p><p>“Where are we even going?” Dongju asks.</p><p>“There’s an open rooftop right around the corner.”</p><p>“Oh, great. So you can push me and make it look like suicide.”</p><p>“What the hell?” Geonhak laughs. “Do you think I just pick up pretty boys at the convenience store and throw them off rooftops?”</p><p>“You look like you’d do that,” Dongju mutters into his scarf. The tips of his ears get slightly red, but that could just be the cold.</p><p>“Ouch,” Geonhak acts wounded. “I’m not a serial killer, don’t worry. I’m an Early Childhood Education major and teacher’s assistant at a kindergarten, so you’re in good hands.”</p><p>Unsurprisingly, Dongju bursts into laughter.</p><p>The reaction usually leaves a bitter taste in Geonhak’s mouth whenever it happens, and it happens a lot, but not with Dongju. He’s just surprised, proud, even, that he made him laugh, and what a pretty laugh it was. All high-pitched and bubbly, and even though he covers his mouth with his hand, Geonhak knows it has to be followed by the prettiest smile too.</p><p>“Oh, wait. You’re serious?” Dongju is cautious when he snaps out of it.</p><p>“You know, I may have changed my mind about pushing you off the roof.”</p><p>“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh,” Dongju says in a small voice that has nothing to do with the threat. “You just don’t look like it.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry, everyone reacts like that. I’ve heard it all,” Geonhak dismisses. “What about you? Are you in college?”</p><p>“I’m not gonna tell you that,” Dongju returns to playing hard to get. “It’s bad enough that you’ve seen my ID. Do you want a DNA sample too?”</p><p>“Gee, I was just making conversation,” Geonhak defends himself. “Whatever, I shouldn’t be thinking about college tonight anyway. I’d rather hear how you ended up drinking alone with a potential serial killer on your big nineteenth birthday.”</p><p>“I’ll tell you when we get to the rooftop,” Dongju scoffs. Geonhak is surprised it isn’t another flat-out rejection.</p><p>“Luckily for me, this is the building,” he says as he opens the heavy metal door of a run-down building. It’s so old that the main entrance door is busted and no one cares to fix it, and there are no working lights or elevators either. Geonhak turns on the flashlight on his phone, grabs Dongju’s wrist on instinct and leads him up the stairs.</p><p>“How many –“</p><p>“Shh, we have to be quiet here,” Geonhak shushes him. “Even though the door is unlocked, it’s technically trespassing.”</p><p>“So you’re making me break the law,” Dongju notes.</p><p>“You’re a big boy now, you can break one harmless law.” He doesn’t know why, but Dongju giggles at that.</p><p>The building is only ten floors tall, which was never an issue for Geonhak, but around the fifth floor he notices Dongju started panting.</p><p>“I’m guessing you’re not on a sports scholarship,” he whispers.</p><p>“Shut up,” Dongju tries to steady his breath, but fails. “Carry me.”</p><p>“No way, you can climb five more floors.”</p><p>They go back and forth like that until they reach the rooftop. It’s <em>freezing </em>cold up there, Geonhak can see his breath coming out in little clouds and he notices Dongju’s knees buckling even under his thick padded jacket, but he counts on the alcohol to warm them up.</p><p>It’s a nostalgic scenery to him, but it’s new to Dongju. That much he can tell, just by looking at his sparkling, curious eyes that go from left to right trying to absorb the view. “You were right. It’s pretty cool.”</p><p>“Let’s sit down.”</p><p>Geonhak thanks himself for accidentally taking Keonhee’s stupidly big scarf instead of his own, because he could now spread it as a whole picnic blanket so they wouldn’t have to sit on the cold concrete. It’s still small enough for their knees to touch slightly, but neither of them seems to mind.</p><p>Dongju takes the bag from his hands, haphazardly throws all the snacks onto the floor, and finally fishes out the champagne. Geonhak lets him struggle with the cap for a while, just to amuse himself, until Dongju shoves the bottle in his hands. He opens it in two seconds, using his teeth.</p><p>He pours them two plastic cups full of champagne, gives one to Dongju, and raises his in a toast. “To the birthday boy.”</p><p>“To you probably not being a serial killer.” And they drink.</p><p>Dongju can’t help but make a sour face at the taste of champagne, which, just like everything else he did, is unintentionally adorable. “Are you glad now you didn’t spend your own money on this?”</p><p>Instead of answering, Dongju downs the rest of his cup.</p><p>“Whoa, slow down there. I don’t want you throwing up on my new sneakers.”</p><p>It seems that Dongju preferred non-verbal communication, because once again, his only answer is to stick his tongue out.</p><p>“So. I’m waiting for the story.”</p><p>“I’m gonna need more champagne for that.”</p><p>“Not so quickly,” Geonhak says sternly as he opens a bag of potato chips and tosses it to him. “Eat some snacks.”</p><p>Dongju puts his empty cup down and shoves a handful of chips in his mouth, like he’s intentionally building suspense. “I have a twin brother.”</p><p>“Identical?”</p><p>“No, fraternal,” Dongju shakes his head. “So it’s “our” birthday today, obviously. And we have this stupid tradition on our birthday, have had since we were like, three. I guess not anymore.”</p><p>“What tradition?” Geonhak asks.</p><p>“I’m not telling you that.” He should’ve seen that one coming. “Doesn’t matter, because a romantic night with his boyfriend is apparently more important.”</p><p>“Ah. So that’s why you looked like you wanted to bite my head off at the store.”</p><p>“Nah, that was just because you have an annoying face.”</p><p>“I have an <em>annoying face</em>?!” Geonhak laughs. “How so?”</p><p>“Bitable.”</p><p>“Well, that’s a first,” Geonhak can’t stop smiling, even though he knows he should be offended. “Anyway, it doesn’t mean the tradition is broken once and for all. Skipping one year isn’t a big deal.”</p><p>“It is,” Dongju insists. “Because he’s already talking about how he’s going to <em>marry his Giwookie </em>and <em>adopt a cute little dog with him </em>and <em>‘We’re gonna name him Gyukkie, how cute is that!’</em>”</p><p>“Sounds like your brother’s really in love.”</p><p>“I know, isn’t that gross?” Dongju asks, completely serious.</p><p>“Someone is a little jealous,” Geonhak teases him.</p><p>“I’m not fucking jealous,” Dongju glares at him and pours himself more champagne. “I just know how these things go with Dongmyeong. Um, that’s my twin’s name. Last year it was some drummer with a slit in his eyebrow, and the year before that it was the student council president who was so conveniently also a singer. He just goes after band dudes, and he’s <em>always </em>going to marry them, until they inevitably leave him to focus on their garage music and tour garage-sized clubs. And then suddenly he needs his brother again.”</p><p>“Damn, that sounds just like my roommate,” Geonhak chuckles. “He’s like a lovesick puppy, always chasing guys that aren’t as serious as he is, and he can’t wrap his pure little head around the fact that not everyone would die for someone they’ve been dating for a week.”</p><p>He finally manages to pull another smile from Dongju. “Yep, that’s Dongmyeong. I just feel sorry for him, you know.”</p><p>“Why would you? I think it’s good that your brother, and my roommate, can love like that. I mean, it does mean he’s crying way more than the average adult, but sometimes I’m jealous that he can trust people so easily.”</p><p>That seems to grab Dongju’s attention, so his eyes finally fixate on Geonhak’s face. He studies him, and it makes Geonhak’s whole body shiver. He decides to blame it on the cold, pours himself another cup of champagne as if he’s not bothered at all, and lets Dongju look for as long as he likes.</p><p>“What’s your zodiac sign?”</p><p>“Leo, why?”</p><p>“Ah, that’s a shame, we can’t see either of our constellations tonight,” Dongju turns to the sky. “You’ll be able to see yours in the spring, though. But Orion’s pretty cool too, right there. It’s chasing the Taurus.”</p><p>Geonhak follows Dongju’s delicate finger as he connects the stars above them, explaining how they form the shape of a hunter, showing him exactly which stars are his body and which his bow.</p><p>“What are you, an astronomy major?” Geonhak jokes.</p><p>“Yeah,” Dongju says. “Don’t look like it, do I?”</p><p>“Tell me more about Orion.”</p><p>Dongju puts his forearm under his head as he lies down on the ground, and Geonhak knows he’s supposed to do the same. So he does, lie close to Dongju, dangerously close to Dongju, and let him talk in ancient myths and terminology he can’t understand.</p><p>It would’ve been incredibly cheesy, but Geonhak knows it isn’t just some sleazy party trick he memorized from Wikipedia. There is blind fascination dripping from Dongju’s words – he couldn’t care less if Geonhak is impressed by it or not. He just talks as if the stars themselves asked him to tell their story, and Geonhak finds he likes the sound of his voice.</p><p>They sit up after some time, just to drink more champagne and eat more snacks, but Dongju keeps talking about everything and anything star-related that comes to mind. He keeps sputtering fact after fact, some more comprehensible than others, but his words soon start slurring together and Geonhak realizes the champagne had hit him all at once. But it’s fine, because he himself is in the perfect state between tipsy enough to find drunk Dongju adorable and sober enough to take care of him.</p><p>The champagne bottle isn’t even close to empty, but Geonhak tells him it is and puts it behind his back so Dongju can’t reach it. He makes grabby hands at it for a few moments, but ultimately realizes he’s already drunk enough, and then he starts laughing at that fact too.</p><p>Geonhak likes this Dongju, the one that isn’t frowning or hiding from him, but instead acting his age – just a dumb freshman that’s so passionate about his major that he can talk about it, nerdy terms and all, even when he’s drunk. But then again, he probably likes the frowny Dongju more than he should too. And that is <em>very </em>unlike Geonhak.</p><p>“Tell me something, hyung.”</p><p>“What?” Geonhak is taken aback by Dongju calling him <em>hyung </em>for the first time.</p><p>“Just anything. Something about yourself.”</p><p>“Well, what’s there to say…” Geonhak huffs nervously. “I have a younger brother, who accidentally has the same name as my roommate, I want to be a preschool teacher, I like working out…”</p><p>“Mmm, working out,” Dongju <em>winks </em>at him, and Geonhak isn’t sure if he can handle more of this unabashed, drunk Dongju. “I’m not asking for your work resume. Tell me something <em>fun</em>. Like a weird talent, or something.”</p><p>“Oh, you want a weird talent?” Geonhak smirks. “I can do a mean Donald Duck impression.”</p><p>“No way.”</p><p>Geonhak covers mouth with his hands to avoid spitting on Dongju, and the second he starts shaking his head and vibrating his lips, Dongju is rolling on the ground, looking like he’ll suffocate from laughter. It was worth embarrassing himself for.</p><p>“Come on, you have to show me a weird talent now too.”</p><p>“Mine isn’t weird,” Dongju says confidently. “I’m just really cute.”</p><p>“That’s your talent?”</p><p>“Just sit back and watch,” Dongju pushes Geonhak’s shoulders back, and Geonhak must admit he’s looking forward to this “special talent”. Dongju quietly clears his throat, and the show starts.</p><p>“Geonhakie,” he whines in the silliest, most artificially sweet voice Geonhak has ever heard. “Isn’t Juya the cutest? Don’t you just want to give me <em>all </em>your snacks?”</p><p>He puffs up his already soft cheeks and sticks out his lower lip, fake innocence radiating from his eyes, and as much as Geonhak wants to cringe, a stupid part of him just wants to wrap Dongju in a blanket, make him a cup of hot cocoa and cuddle him to sleep.</p><p>“That,” Geonhak chokes out. “Is the worst thing I’ve ever heard. I need to bleach my ears.”</p><p>Dongju looks genuinely offended as he starts hitting him like an enraged bear cub, and his frustration only grows when Geonhak laughs at his attempts at violence, so he lets out a few fake-pained yelps to avoid hurting his feelings.</p><p>“Fine, fine, you’re the cutest, <em>Juya</em>,” he gives in before Dongju decides to push him off the roof, even adding a little cheek pinch to prove his point. Dongju dodges it.</p><p>“Ew, you’re right, it’s gross when you say it,” Dongju scrunches his nose and drops the subject. “Still better than your dumb duck impression.”</p><p>Geonhak is usually shy, and it takes him ages to open up to new people, but not to Dongju. With Dongju, the words just flow on their own, and they soon start talking like two old friends catching up. Dongju’s laugh is contagious, it spreads his lips into the prettiest heart shape and Geonhak finds himself saying out loud all the dumb jokes that come to his mind instead of filtering himself. Not all of them are actually met with laughter, but Geonhak can’t even be embarrassed about it.</p><p>They talk about everything. About Geonhak’s part-time job, about Dongju’s grandparents, about the gifts he got for his birthday, everything and nothing, and Geonhak feels oddly at ease.</p><p>First meetings are usually awkward for him – he feels that people are showing him watered-down versions of themselves, an assorted collection of anecdotes that would paint an inoffensive picture of their lives.</p><p>But not Dongju. Dongju doesn’t care whether or not Geonhak likes him, and <em>that’s</em> what makes him like him. For the first time in his life, Geonhak doesn’t feel like an actor going over a script with a co-star. Dongju never asks where he was born, or tells him that he went on a field trip to Geonhak’s hometown when he was in middle school.</p><p>They just talk, and Dongju shares as much of himself as he asks for in return, always prompting Geonhak to talk about himself when he’s too immersed in listening to remember a conversation goes both ways. Some people don’t notice, or even like that habit of Geonhak’s. They hop at the opportunity to talk more about themselves, dumping as much information on him as they can, but Dongju, despite his bored appearance, is curious about Geonhak too. He doesn’t know why, but he is.</p><p>Dongju is not a book he could just read linearly. He’s animated, jumping from thought to thought, using his hands, laughing too hard at his own memories before he catches his breath to actually tell them, and listening to him feels like watching a dance performance. Pictures change quickly in front of Geonhak’s eyes, because he can never guess what Dongju will think of next, but he’s always excited for it.</p><p>“Can I tell you something?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“But if you laugh I’ll be the serial killer here and throw <em>you </em>off the roof.”</p><p>“I’m not gonna laugh!”</p><p>“I’m only telling you this because I’m drunk and I have this uncontrollable urge to overshare. And also, maybe just for tonight, I want to be like Dongmyeong and just <em>trust</em> people when they say they won’t laugh at me,” Dongju gives another unnecessarily long disclaimer. “Watching Disney movies. That’s our birthday tradition.”</p><p>Somehow, Geonhak isn’t surprised at all. He doesn’t think it’s embarrassing, instead, it’s incredibly endearing, as are most things Dongju does. It could be the Childhood Education major in him, but he suddenly feels sad that a nineteen-year-old boy didn’t get to spend his birthday watching Disney movies with his brother.</p><p>“Can I tell you something too?” Geonhak softens the edges of his smile, so that Dongju wouldn’t mistake it for laughter. “I wasn’t going to get drunk because I was stressed. I was going to get drunk because of an anime. <em>Naruto, </em>to be precise. My favorite character died.”</p><p>Dongju starts laughing like a baby, an actual baby that thinks peek-a-boo is peak humor, and Geonhak has to resist the urge to pull him to his chest and never let him go. When he stops laughing, though, a heavy silence falls on them and they’re left trying to read each other’s eyes, both searching for the same sign.</p><p>And Geonhak decides he doesn’t need to search for signs anymore. Maybe just for tonight, he wants to be like Keonhee and just <em>trust </em>people when they look at him like he put all the stars in the sky, so he leans closer to Dongju and waits to be pushed away.</p><p>He isn’t, Dongju is leaning in too, helping him bridge the gap, Geonhak sees his eyelids fluttering shut from almost no distance at all, and – a heavy metal door opens, making them both jump back.</p><p>“Who’s there?!” someone yells, and they sound like an old lady whose only passion in life is to complain about the kids these days. “Tsk, must be those darn junkies again…”</p><p>“Pst, let’s take the emergency stairs,” Geonhak takes Dongju’s hand, and they run.</p><p>The staircase is so rusty and squeaky that Geonhak fears they’ll fall from the tenth floor to their deaths, but Dongju is still laughing, small hand neatly nested in his own. They somehow make it to the ground safely, and when they do, they collapse in a dark alleyway, both breathing heavily from the adrenalin rush.</p><p>Dongju chokes on his own laughter, and Geonhak has to bring his finger to his mouth in a playful ‘shh’. And oh no, Dongju’s staring at his lips again.</p><p>“I think we’re safe now. We should go,” Geonhak says, just to break the tension.</p><p>“Yeah. We should.” But neither of them try to move.</p><p>The second time Geonhak feels Dongju’s champagne-flavored breath on his lips, it’s Dongju who’s coming closer, but he stops him with a gentle peck on the nose. Dongju is completely dumbfounded.</p><p>“Rooftop under the starry sky, I could vibe with, but I’m not going to kiss you in a stinky alleyway,” he laughs softly. “Come on, let’s go.”</p><p>“But I don’t wanna go home,” Dongju whines.</p><p>“You’re not going home.”</p><p>“I don’t put out on the first… whatever the fuck tonight was,” Dongju clarifies, but doesn’t let go of Geonhak’s hand. “Pervert.”</p><p>“I wasn’t even thinking about that, you’re the perverted one here,” Geonhak rolls his eyes. “What time is it?”</p><p>Dongju gets his phone out to check, but it takes him an awfully long time to decipher his lock screen. “Uh...”</p><p>He shows the phone to Geonhak, and he can’t help but take note of the adorable lock screen. Dongju’s smiling from ear to ear with another boy, whose smile is identical to his, and they’re both wearing Mickey Mouse ears. He almost forgets to check the time.</p><p>“Damn, it’s too late,” he mutters to himself, still not letting Dongju in on his plans. “Wait! I know another place.”</p><p>“Will you just tell me where the fuck we’re going? Or was it too early to cross off the possibility of you being a serial killer?”</p><p>“I have to get something, and the walk will sober us up,” Geonhak answers cryptically. “And then we’re going to my place.”</p><p>“So you can chop up my dead body in your bathtub.”</p><p>“Yes, Dongju, so I can chop up your dead body in my bathtub,” Geonhak gives in, and he has no idea why it makes Dongju giggle the way it does. All he knows, all he’s sober enough to know, is that the weight of Dongju’s hand feels nice in his.</p><p>“What’s this? Some kind of stationery shop?” Dongju furrows his eyebrows when they reach the location.</p><p>“Just wait for me here, I’ll be right back.”</p><p>He keeps his promise and comes back from the store not even five minutes later, with something behind his back.</p><p>“It’s a little dumb, but here’s your birthday present.”</p><p>He practically shoves the present into Dongju’s hands before he can die of embarrassment, and instead of laughing at him again, Dongju just looks at it like it’s the best thing he’s ever gotten.</p><p>“A stuffed sunflower.”</p><p>“It sings, too.” Geonhak presses a button on the sunflower’s pot, and it starts wiggling and playing its little saxophone. Dongju’s entire face lights up at that.</p><p>“Thank you,” he says in a way that makes Geonhak’s heart feel three sizes too big for his chest. “I won’t forget to water it.”</p><p>“That would probably screw up the –”</p><p>“Shut up, dumbass,” Dongju goes right back to his usual self, elbowing him in the ribs before he can finish the sentence. “Now take me to your place and detach my limbs.”</p><p>The walk to Geonhak’s apartment is mostly quiet, because Dongju is playing with his sunflower, and Geonhak has to save him from a couple of cars, but it’s nice.</p><p>“You know, I wanted to go to the Disney store to get you a real plushie,” Geonhak says, and he doesn’t even know why he says it, but he feels that he has to. “But they’re closed now, so the only other place I could think of was this store that sells the weirdest random stuff. I thought they might have some kind of a stuffed toy. And this is the best I could find.”</p><p>“I love it,” Dongju says sincerely while petting the pink petals of his gift. “I think I own the entire Disney store by now, so this will be a fine addition to my collection.”</p><p>“Good. This is my building,” he gives him one more chance to change his mind, afraid that he’s imposed himself too much. “I can still call you a cab if you want.”</p><p>“Dongmyeong’s probably fucking with his boyfriend right now, I don’t need to hear that,” Dongju shakes his head as if the mere offer is disgusting. “I’d rather die in your bathtub, if you don’t mind scrubbing my blood.”</p><p>Geonhak tells himself he’s dumb to overthink this so much when he doesn’t even plan on trying anything with Dongju, and they’re both mostly sober by now, but this is a new situation for him. He doesn’t just “bring people over”. Even when he’s dating, he doesn’t let anyone in his personal space for <em>months</em>, which most people find annoying, but that’s just how he’s always been. But for some reason, he feels like he’s known Dongju for years, so it doesn’t feel wrong when he unlocks his apartment and tells him to get comfortable on the couch.</p><p>Under Dongju’s enormous padded jacket is an oversized powder blue sweater, and Geonhak can finally see just how delicate his body is. They are almost the same height, and Dongju isn’t terribly skinny either, but there is an elegance to him that doesn’t fade even when he acts like an overgrown drunk baby. It puts Geonhak under a spell.</p><p>By the time Geonhak brings them both some water, Dongju is already wrapped up in Keonhee’s fuzzy blanket in the corner of his couch, and somehow it just feels <em>right</em>. Like the couch had always been missing the weight of Dongju’s body. Or maybe that’s just Geonhak.</p><p>He gives Dongju a glass of water, insisting he drinks it right away to prevent a headache tomorrow, takes the remote and starts browsing Netflix.</p><p>“Is <em>Little Mermaid </em>okay?” he turns to Dongju to ask, only to find him staring at the screen open-mouthed and frozen. “Dongju? Do you want to watch another one?”</p><p>“You brought me to your house to watch Disney movies?” he asks instead of answering Geonhak’s question, voice ever so slightly trembling.</p><p>“Well, tradition is tradition.”</p><p>Instead of responding, Dongju takes the remote from his hands and presses ‘play’ on <em>Little Mermaid</em>. He then scoots to the side of the couch, still wrapped up in his blankie, and stares up at Geonhak like he’s supposed to know what to do next.</p><p>“Sit down.”</p><p>Geonhak does as he’s told, because who is he to deny Dongju anything, and tries to squeeze himself as close to the opposite armrest as possible, so that there’s a safe distance between them. But Dongju wouldn’t have it – he moves all the way across the couch, until he’s pressing into Geonhak’s side, resting his head on the elder’s shoulder. It makes his heart race, but Dongju is too immersed in the movie to notice.</p><p>Once they’re perfectly slotted together, Dongju generously shares his blanket with Geonhak, and Geonhak kisses the top of his head in return. While Dongju’s focused on the movie, he even takes it a step further and wraps his arms around Dongju’s waist. The younger doesn’t have any complaints.</p><p>Geonhak finds out that Dongju doesn’t like being disturbed when he watches movies, although he told him it was his fifth time watching <em>Little Mermaid</em>. He does, however, like quietly singing along to the songs in the movie, knows them all by heart, and Geonhak finds himself falling deeper and deeper with each song. His singing voice is just as nice as his speaking voice.</p><p>He was never a romantic person. This <em>Before Sunrise</em>-esque, love at first sight thing was something Keonhee would definitely eat up, but not Geonhak. He keeps to himself, rarely even gets crushes, and romance isn’t something he needs in order to be happy. It’s not something he thrives on, something he even spends much time thinking about. But suddenly, with Dongju in his arms, he kind of understands why Keonhee wants to believe every guy he meets at the club is his soulmate.</p><p>When Ariel and prince Eric sit in the boat and another song starts, Geonhak realizes Dongju isn’t singing along. His breathing is completely even and peaceful, and when Geonhak strains his neck to look at his face, he finds he’s fast asleep. He doesn’t want to keep staring for too long, not wanting to look like a creep in case Dongju wakes up, so he takes the risk and plants one single chaste kiss on his forehead, before he turns off the TV and drifts off to sleep too.</p><p>What a night.</p><hr/><p>“Kim Geonhak!”</p><p>Keonhee’s voice at that volume is arguably the worst sound one can hear at nine in the morning on a Sunday, especially while mildly hungover. Geonhak’s eyes slowly blink open to find Keonhee’s lanky figure standing in front of him, disheveled and scandalized, but still with a shit-eating grin on his face.</p><p>“Shh, you’ll wake him up,” he hisses. Thankfully, Dongju seems to be a heavy sleeper, because he shows no signs of hearing Keonhee’s shouting.</p><p>“Why is there a <em>boy </em>on my couch?” Keonhee whispers back. “Do you have a secret boyfriend you didn’t tell me about?!”</p><p>“Would you believe me if I told you I found him at the convenience store?” Geonhak chuckles. “Go wash up, you look like shit.”</p><p>He knew that would do the trick, because Keonhee immediately scrambles to find a mirror, and he lets out another shriek when he realizes his make-up is smudged and his hair is sticking out at gravity-defying angles.</p><p>Geonhak realizes belatedly that Dongju has moved in his sleep and is now snuggled up to his chest, which only makes him impossibly cuter in Geonhak’s eyes. His cheek is squished against Geonhak’s shoulder, making his lips look pouty, and Geonhak really, really wants to kiss him.</p><p>It’s a thought that had been overpowering him the entire time last night, and would’ve definitely won had it not been for that annoying old lady. All parts of Dongju look so soft and kissable, from his long lashes to his heart-shaped smile and cheeks that are still holding onto the last of his baby fat.  </p><p>He reasons that, if he wasn’t woken up by <em>Keonhee</em>, he definitely wouldn’t feel one short kiss. But then he remembers that, just because he wanted to kiss him last night when he was drunk, doesn’t mean he won’t run out of the apartment with regrets the moment he wakes up. So he’s stuck just staring at Dongju’s lips, wishing he’d kissed him in that stinky alley when he had the chance.</p><p>“If you don’t do it, I will,” Dongju mutters, without opening his eyes, and Geonhak almost jumps out of his skin.</p><p>“You’re awake?!”</p><p>“No, I’m waiting for a prince to wake me up with a kiss,” Dongju corrects him. “Too bad I only have a serial killer here with me.”</p><p>“Hey, you still have all your limbs, don’t you?”</p><p>“Yeah, but you won’t if I don’t get my fucking kiss,” Dongju threatens.</p><p>Geonhak finally presses their lips together, in what he intends as only a peck, but Dongju captures his lower lip and drags it into a slow, lazy make-out session. There’s still a faint taste of champagne between them, but they don’t mind.</p><p>“Ew, not while I’m home!” Keonhee finds the most convenient moment to leave the bathroom. “Hi, stranger, I’m Geonhak’s roommate Keonhee.”</p><p>Dongju quickly jumps up and introduces himself with an embarrassed blush on his ears. Geonhak sits up too, but he immediately wraps his arm around Dongju’s waist again, physically unable to pull away from him.</p><p>“There better not be any suspicious stains on my blankie,” Keonhee shoots his roommate a threatening glare.</p><p>“Not everyone’s a whore like you,” Geonhak bites back. “Come on, spill. I know you’re dying to tell us how you got all those hickeys.”</p><p>It does the trick, because Keonhee’s suddenly looking at his feet with a dumb smile on his face, obviously remembering things from last night that Geonhak would rather not imagine. “Okay, so, I met the love of my life. But! Hear me out before you roll your eyes!”</p><p>While Keonhee waxes poetic about a tiny blond dancer he spent the night with, Dongju takes his phone from the coffee table and frowns at it, but doesn’t interrupt him. He starts typing furiously, and when he’s done he throws it back to the table like it’s a ticking time-bomb.</p><p>“What do you think, Dongju-ya?” Keonhee asks for his opinion. “Is it too desperate if I text him today? I mean, he said he’d love to see me again…”</p><p>“You should text him, hyung, shows that you’re serious,” Dongju decides. “I’m sorry, I have a million missed calls from my brother, I better get going…”</p><p>“Can’t you tell him you’ll stay a few more minutes for breakfast?” Geonhak gives him his best puppy eyes.</p><p>“I suppose I could do that,” Dongju tries to sound like he doesn’t care either way, but it’s clear he’s biting back a smile.</p><p>“Lovely! Hyung, you’re making eggs!” Keonhee jumps, throwing an arm around Dongju’s shoulders as he leads him to their kitchen table. “Now, should I wait a few more hours or…”</p><hr/><p><strong>From:</strong> Cute Champagne Boy</p><p>
  <em>dongmyeong and his bf actually came back to the house to watch movies with me yesterday, but i didn’t hear my phone</em>
</p><p>
  <em>also, giwook got him a dog as a birthday gift</em>
</p><p>
  <em>god it’s such an ugly dog</em>
</p><p><strong>To:</strong> Cute Champagne Boy</p><p>
  <em>see, your brother didn’t ditch you!!!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>and i’m sure the dog’s cute, you’re just jealous</em>
</p><p><strong>From:</strong> Cute Champagne Boy</p><p>
  <em>nah, my gift was better</em>
</p><p>
  <em>wanna come over tomorrow and meet gyukkie?</em>
</p><p><strong>To: </strong>Cute Champagne Boy</p><p>
  <em>should i bring champagne?</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this fic is very experimental for me because a) it's my first time writing in present tense and b) it was written entirely in comic sans. yes, that writing hack actually works, i wrote all this one day.</p><p>please consider leaving kudos and/or comments if you enjoyed!! just something simple like a keysmash will make me very very happy &lt;3 thank you for giving this dumb idea a chance &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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